# Can someone please describe in detail your "dry box" technique?



## dcmain (Sep 25, 2014)

For you more experienced puffers; I tried to search for dry box in several different ways and either there were too many posts with those words or none at all. I have seen the suggestion to put "wet" cigars in a dry box for a couple of days but I'm not clear on the RH you would want to keep this box at and how to tell if a particular cigar would benefit from this treatment. Please educate me...


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## anthony d (May 10, 2014)

My understanding of a dry box is exactly what it sounds like. An old cigar box or something of the like, made from Spanish cedar, that has a very low humidity that will allow the sticks to dry out quicker than putting them in a humidor with a slightly lower rh.


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## defetis (Jan 5, 2014)

^what he said


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## c.ortiz108 (Nov 16, 2013)

A day or two before smoking a cigar, I remove it from the humi, take of the cello and put it in an an empty Padron box with no humidification device. Brings them down from about 65/67 to around 62 which seems ideal for me.


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## Old Smokey (Sep 13, 2013)

c.ortiz108 said:


> A day or two before smoking a cigar, I remove it from the humi, take of the cello and put it in an an empty Padron box with no humidification device. Brings them down from about 65/67 to around 62 which seems ideal for me.


Do you really detect much difference by dry boxing? If so, is it primarily the burn or taste after storing at around 65. The question I would have is the wrapper drying out more quickly than the binder and filler during the dry boxing. Seems it would be kind of counter productive if a person had let them acclimate at your chosen RH. Just curious as to my thinking.


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## c.ortiz108 (Nov 16, 2013)

Old Smokey said:


> Do you really detect much difference by dry boxing? If so, is it primarily the burn or taste after storing at around 65. The question I would have is the wrapper drying out more quickly than the binder and filler during the dry boxing. Seems it would be kind of counter productive if a person had let them acclimate at your chosen RH. Just curious as to my thinking.


I was having a lot of burn issues with sticks going out, and found that the couple of days dry boxing takes care of it. My hygrometer might be off (too high) but seems to calibrate okay. Not sure about impact of taste - I'm still at the noob stage where a lot of cigars I smoke I've never had before, so I haven't tried the same stick both ways.


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## SeanTheEvans (Dec 13, 2013)

yes, I've always been curious as well, why to box rather than just sit it on the dresser?


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## Old Smokey (Sep 13, 2013)

c.ortiz108 said:


> I was having a lot of burn issues with sticks going out, and found that the couple of days dry boxing takes care of it. My hygrometer might be off (too high) but seems to calibrate okay. Not sure about impact of taste - I'm still at the noob stage where a lot of cigars I smoke I've never had before, so I haven't tried the same stick both ways.


Ok, thanks, I am still in that phase also. I store at 65 and my cigars burn very well. And I rarely smoke a cigar that hasn't been laid down for at least 2-3 months. I think this must be a "whatever works" situation.


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## maverickmage (Feb 10, 2008)

mind you, dry boxing affects mostly the moisture in the wrapper. The cigar as a whole would probably not lose all that much with only a day or two of dry boxing. Still, it has been my opinion that a wet wrapper is one of the biggest issue for burn problems so there is merit to dry boxing. I only recommend dry boxing if you consistently notice burn issues with cigars in your humidor.


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## Scott W. (Jul 10, 2008)

SeanTheEvans said:


> yes, I've always been curious as well, why to box rather than just sit it on the dresser?


For me, I'll sit it anywhere that has low RH to dry a cigar out. I do this mostly in warmer months. In the fall and winter, my humi is between 61-63 rh which for me is perfect


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## Shaun (Jun 28, 2014)

One thing I've come to believe is that it's necessary to store cigars at a higher RH to preserve their quality, but that RH is NOT ideal for SMOKING a cigar. I store mine at about 68% RH and then remove them from the humidor and stick them in a "dry box" (an empty cigar box is perfect but your underwear drawer would work fine too) for 24-72 hours before I smoke them. 

And yes, I find that the sticks burn and draw much better when they're dry boxed for a bit. More importantly I find the flavors are more pronounced when the sticks are "dry". The sucky part is that when you "dry box" you lose the spontaneity of grabbing whatever stick strikes your fancy out of the humi and firing it up. If you want to smoke a "dry" one, you're forced to pick from what you've got in the box.

I get around that by going ahead and smoking one out of the humi when the urge strikes. It's not that big a deal. They still smoke okay. But I'm a strong believer in drying them a bit before smoking. If you haven't tried it, I recommend giving it a whirl.


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

Dry boxing is a very simple concept. All you want to do is make your cigar a little drier by placing it somewhere that has a lower rh level for a day or two.

My fresh rolled cigars are simply set out on the table for 5 or 6 days. The room they are in has a rh of about 55%. This room itself is one big dry box. No need to put them in a smaller box. Check the rh in your house. You may be able to just lay them on your dresser.


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## momo439 (Nov 8, 2013)

Shaun said:


> One thing I've come to believe is that it's necessary to store cigars at a higher RH to preserve their quality, but that RH is NOT ideal for SMOKING a cigar. I store mine at about 68% RH and then remove them from the humidor and stick them in a "dry box" (an empty cigar box is perfect but your underwear drawer would work fine too) for 24-72 hours before I smoke them.
> 
> And yes, I find that the sticks burn and draw much better when they're dry boxed for a bit. More importantly I find the flavors are more pronounced when the sticks are "dry". The sucky part is that when you "dry box" you lose the spontaneity of grabbing whatever stick strikes your fancy out of the humi and firing it up. If you want to smoke a "dry" one, you're forced to pick from what you've got in the box.
> 
> I get around that by going ahead and smoking one out of the humi when the urge strikes. It's not that big a deal. They still smoke okay. But I'm a strong believer in drying them a bit before smoking. If you haven't tried it, I recommend giving it a whirl.


Exactly, you beat me to it. I do notice a significant "intensity" of flavours when I dry box. I too found the same inconvenience of being at the mercy of what was set asside but will smoke right from my humi which it at 65% constant. This should be solved soon anyway, apparently Boveda is working on a 55% RH pack; I guess I could use the 62% and see how that works?


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## haebar (Jun 9, 2012)

I pull them out of my regular humidor and put them in a smaller humidor at 60-62% rh for 1 to days.


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## woodted (Jan 3, 2009)

I've found if you are having tight draw problems dry boxing will also help loosen the draw.


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

I've found that it "MAY" help with cigars that have very thick wrappers, like a broadleaf. I have not had much success with thinner wrappers.


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## Merovius (Sep 11, 2013)

Old Smokey said:


> Do you really detect much difference by dry boxing? If so, is it primarily the burn or taste after storing at around 65. The question I would have is the wrapper drying out more quickly than the binder and filler during the dry boxing. Seems it would be kind of counter productive if a person had let them acclimate at your chosen RH. Just curious as to my thinking.


This is the _only_ reason I dry box, to dry out thicker wrapper/binder that dont usually burn so great. I try to keep it around 65 for NC, which is personal preference. If I could enjoy my smokes at 60rh it wouldnt be an issue but I sometimes smoke a few a day and dryer smokes can get rough on my throat.

As Chico said, 12-24 hours prior. I use a small DPG 10th Anni coffin, it fits most of my sticks, seals well and has a small footprint.

If you wanna drop the rh considerably and do it the right way w/o ruining your stick youll need more time.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

I find that dry boxing is a method used by those that insist on storing their cigars at a high RH (67~72% RH) and find that putting them in a dry box helps them a little bit. Throughout many years of smoking and playing with different RH, I've found that dry boxing helps very little, note I said very little. If you're storing your stock at 72% or even 70% it seems to help alot. I find that the more you go down in RH as far as what you store your cigars at, it helps less and less.

I store my "ready to be smoked" stock at 62% RH and that doesn't mean I pull my cigars from an aging box that's at 65% RH the day or week before and put them in the 62% RH box. The aging box is exactly that, it isn't touched and cigars pulled from my 62% box have been sitting in that RH for at least three to four weeks, usually much longer. I've tried dry boxing cigars from both the 62 and 65 box and it actually very obviously hurts the burn if anything, meaning its very noticeable to me that it affects them negatively. It almost seems to me that they burn like a cigar coming from a high RH humidor and I can only attribute that to the fact that the outside 1/3rd is burning differently than the inner 2/3rds, even though the RH in the dry box was at around 48%. I would say that because it's not burning harmoniously it's attributed to this fact. You would have to leave the cigar in the dry box for at least two weeks if not more for it to have an appreciable effect throughout the whole cigar.

See you have to keep in mind that once a cigar has been left in any stable environment for longer than a month and a half to two months, that the cigar is now the same RH throughout the entire cigar. When you pull a cigar thats been sitting in a 65% RH environment for 2 to 3 months and put it in a dry box that has an ambient RH of 48, only the outside of the cigar including the wrapper, binder and maybe some of the filler is going to decrease in RH. The middle is going to be at 65RH thereby leading to a possibly very wonky burn with canoes galore. This is the experience I have had. But I've also experimented around years ago when I kept my RH higher with pulling a cigar from a 70% RH environment and dry boxing for 2 to 3 days and it only seemed to improve the burn and flavor.

I think dry boxing is an unnecessary practice that solves only part of the problem you seek to fix. It would be much better to keep your environments where you store your cigars at a level between 60~65% RH as I've never experienced the need to dry box at this level and when I have it only seemed to make the cigar worse. I could relate it to trying to bail out a boat with a coffee cup, it's just too little, too late and it's just not necessary unless you insist on storing your cigars at a RH that is not conducive to smoking them much less storing them unless you want to have to check it everyday lest an outbreak of mold settle upon them which is extremely likely at 70% RH. So this is just one mans take on dry boxing and I tried to explain the best way I could why I believe the way I do.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

Shaun said:


> One thing I've come to believe is that it's necessary to store cigars at a higher RH to preserve their quality, but that RH is NOT ideal for SMOKING a cigar. I store mine at about 68% RH and then remove them from the humidor and stick them in a "dry box" (an empty cigar box is perfect but your underwear drawer would work fine too) for 24-72 hours before I smoke them.
> 
> And yes, I find that the sticks burn and draw much better when they're dry boxed for a bit. More importantly I find the flavors are more pronounced when the sticks are "dry". The sucky part is that when you "dry box" you lose the spontaneity of grabbing whatever stick strikes your fancy out of the humi and firing it up. If you want to smoke a "dry" one, you're forced to pick from what you've got in the box.
> 
> I get around that by going ahead and smoking one out of the humi when the urge strikes. It's not that big a deal. They still smoke okay. But I'm a strong believer in drying them a bit before smoking. If you haven't tried it, I recommend giving it a whirl.


The British would disagree with you, and I'm talking about the St. James St and Kensington tobannists who've been laying down cigars for much longer than the Americans or anyone over on this side of the ocean. They actually keep their aging stock in the high 50's to low 60's.

Yes, I know what you're talking about as far as the logic and science behind it is concerned because I've actually thought like that for a long time too but the more I've talked to people that have been at this much longer than I have, the more strongly I feel that there is absolutely no need to keep cigars anywhere above 66% RH, especially for aging. There's that whole train of thought that the leaves need to be kept moist so they are in an environment more like their natural environment and also the thought that the higher moisture will keep the oils in the tobacco and also further trigger fermentation just like when they spray the leaves as they're rolling the cigars. This is just not true and not necessary as far as long term storage or even short term storage is concerned. Here is a quote from an article that makes perfect sense and backs up the practice of keeping cigars at a lower RH in keeping them preserved.

"Keep Humidity Lower Than 70%
For long-term aging I would recommend a humidity level of around 63-67%RH. A lower humidity level will allow the flavors and aromas of the cigar to concentrate more. As you allow some of the moisture to evaporate, the essential oils will concentrate within the tobacco. Those oleoresins are what contain the flavor and aroma particles. Also, a lower humidity will counterbalance any propensity of the tobacco to develop mold. The only caveat with this approach is that you must be sure not to allow the tobacco to become too dry, which would eventually cause the oleoresins to evaporate as well. I keep my cabinet humidors at 68%RH, which gives me a little margin for error and will accommodate all my cigars, even the ones not meant for long-term aging."

I guess we all have our beliefs and what seems to work for us but there is what works best and what doesn't also. To me, dry boxing, or the need for it means that you're storing your cigars at to high an RH. A level they do not need to be stored at as it does nothing positive for them and can only cause problems if anything. Ever see someone or yourself tear open a cigar where there is whitish mold all underneath the wrapper and over the binder and into the filler? I have, and its from storing cigars at 68% or higher.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

My dry box is my humidor, coolerdors and tupperdors. I live where the ambient RH is almost always above 70% For a box of any kind to be considered dry, the ambient RH needs to be at or below what you store your cigars at. I store my cigars at about 65%. Right now, the temp is 79° and the outside humidity is at 84%. So, a dry box or any storage without some sort of dehumidifier does not work for me.

I do try to take my cigars out and let them sit at the ambient RH for an hour or two before I smoke them on higher humidity days. This sometimes helps to prevent them from splitting the wrappers when smoked on days that the humidity is well above 80%.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

Fuzzy said:


> My dry box is my humidor, coolerdors and tupperdors. I live where the ambient RH is almost always above 70% For a box of any kind to be considered dry, the ambient RH needs to be at or below what you store your cigars at. I store my cigars at about 65%. Right now, the temp is 79° and the outside humidity is at 84%. So, a dry box or any storage without some sort of dehumidifier does not work for me.
> 
> I do try to take my cigars out and let them sit at the ambient RH for an hour or two before I smoke them on higher humidity days. This sometimes helps to prevent them from splitting the wrappers when smoked on days that the humidity is well above 80%.


Do you run your AC ? I live in Pompano Beach which I don't think is that far away from you. My ambient humidity with the AC running is around 48~52% RH. I always pay attention to your posts when you talk about the environ conditions since they closely mimic mine although I'm about a mile maybe a bit less from the beach. I live right off Federal Highway near McNab Rd.


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## momo439 (Nov 8, 2013)

TonyAccardo said:


> The middle is going to be at 65RH thereby leading to a possibly very wonky burn with canoes galore.


I guess that's were the statement your mileage may vary applies; I used to store at 70% and had major burn issues that dryboxing unequivocally fixed for me; canoeing was never an issue after I started this practice. I now store at 65% which took care of the burn issues but I still practice dryboxing, it may be physiological but I do perceive sharper flavours that way.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

momo439 said:


> I guess that's were the statement your mileage may vary applies; I used to store at 70% and had major burn issues that dryboxing unequivocally fixed for me; canoeing was never an issue after I started this practice. I now store at 65% which took care of the burn issues but I still practice dryboxing, it may be physiological but I do perceive sharper flavours that way.


I think after lowering your RH that it probably is mostly psychological. Whenever we implement a practice that has fixed a problem for a long time the brain is going to think its better but who knows, it may be giving you better flavors. I've found that over the years I get the most pronounced flavors between 60~62% RH. And where you live in the country and the efficacy of your AC system is going to play a major role in this too. I smoke inside in the AC and find that even when lighting a perfectly dry cigar, when I go outside to walk the dog, the outter wrapper seems to absorb moisture rather quickly and I get uneven burns sometimes.


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## Shaun (Jun 28, 2014)

I'm sure I'm storing my cigars at too high an RH but I have a near-lifetime supply of Boveda packs at 69% and dry-boxing for 2-3 days before smoking works perfectly. I started dry-boxing when I smoked two cigars from a box that I purchased, and the flavors were muted, burn was wonky, and draw was terrible. I gave up less than 1/3 of the way through the second one and carefully unrolled it. The filler was obviously way too moist. So then I took two more from the same box of cigars and dry-boxed them for 3 days. Carefully unrolled one of them just to see the result and the filler was obviously much dryer. Smoked the second one from the dry box and it burned and drew like a charm with much more pronounces flavors. So I dry boxed the remaining 16 sticks for 2-3 days each, and every single one of them burned perfectly and tasted great. I've since been doing the same with all of my cigars. You can say what you will about dry-boxing only affecting the wrapper and binder, but the filler in the cigar I dry-boxed and unrolled was noticeably dryer than the one I didn't dry-box. If it works it works.


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## Shaun (Jun 28, 2014)

TonyAccardo said:


> I guess we all have our beliefs and what seems to work for us...


Yep.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

@TonyAccardo, I only run my AC when the weather is above about 85° I just do not like to be chilly. I use 65% Boveda packs in combo with dry kitty litter in my storage and do not worry to much about the temps. Still have to dry the kitty litter a couple times a year but I have Boveda packs that are still pliable after a years use.

As I type this, my handy dandy wally world home weather station indicates it is 76° and the humidity is right at 94% where my sensor is placed.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

Shaun said:


> I'm sure I'm storing my cigars at too high an RH but I have a near-lifetime supply of Boveda packs at 69% and dry-boxing for 2-3 days before smoking works perfectly. I started dry-boxing when I smoked two cigars from a box that I purchased, and the flavors were muted, burn was wonky, and draw was terrible. I gave up less than 1/3 of the way through the second one and carefully unrolled it. The filler was obviously way too moist. So then I took two more from the same box of cigars and dry-boxed them for 3 days. Carefully unrolled one of them just to see the result and the filler was obviously much dryer. Smoked the second one from the dry box and it burned and drew like a charm with much more pronounces flavors. So I dry boxed the remaining 16 sticks for 2-3 days each, and every single one of them burned perfectly and tasted great. I've since been doing the same with all of my cigars. You can say what you will about dry-boxing only affecting the wrapper and binder, but the filler in the cigar I dry-boxed and unrolled was noticeably dryer than the one I didn't dry-box. If it works it works.


Hey, like I said, if it works it works. I honestly could care less if everyone other than me stores their cigars at 85% and never dryboxes. I say that to convey the message that I am not one of those guys on the internet that tries to force my opinions on everyone else and get pissed if people don't agree. Believe me I could care less. I just figured I'd put my experience up as it has worked wonderfully for me and I read alot of these problems people have, problems that I've had in the past, and post up what got rid of the problem for me.

I see you're from MN. We used to have a cabin up in Hayward, WS and my great grandmother lived in Rochester, MN and I used to go stay with her in the summer for a few weeks. My parents now live in Clear Lake, IA and go up to MN frequently. I love the state and the people are great. My old roommate was from Cannon Falls, MN which was a great little town south of Minneapolis.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

Fuzzy said:


> @TonyAccardo, I only run my AC when the weather is above about 85° I just do not like to be chilly. I use 65% Boveda packs in combo with dry kitty litter in my storage and do not worry to much about the temps. Still have to dry the kitty litter a couple times a year but I have Boveda packs that are still pliable after a years use.
> 
> As I type this, my handy dandy wally world home weather station indicates it is 76° and the humidity is right at 94% where my sensor is placed.


I never can believe some people can stand to go without AC at anytime of the year down here but plenty do it. I keep mine at 70º and it sometimes gets more expensive than I'd like but I and my Doberman would just be too uncomfortable. And I honestly keep it that low because I know its a good temp for my cigars. As soon as I get the Winedor with the cedar shelves in it, I will be able to raise my temp up to about 73~74º but right now I've just got too many expensive cigars laying down to risk any higher temps.


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## pmr1010 (Jul 13, 2013)

I actually have found most cigars smoke best at a different rh so I have a few different coolers, humidors or boxes that they get stored in. Alex Bradley makes the Prensado and Tempus out of a very rare variety of unburnable tobacco. Maybe asbestos. So they must be, IMO, stored at about 60% rh. Most *Cough* "special" cigars store well around 62-65% for my own taste especially the smaller ring gauges. Larger ring gauges I find are good up to about 67%. 

There are some, like JdN and a few others that I really like up around 68% or even 70% so that's where I store them. Unfortunately it takes time and money and several bad experiences to find what you like. Where the temperature is warmer or even hot be careful about the higher rh's.

When I dry box a cigar (I say when because there's no reason to dry box a cigar stored at 60-62% IMO) I use an old cedar Padron box. But I also do the opposite. Some cigars that have been in deep storage for a while at 62% or less might smoke better at a higher rh, so I wet box it. But care is absolutely needed so that you don't explode the cigar by bringing up the rh too fast. Bring it up slowly, a few points at a time, maybe over a few days when time permits. But that's only on a few that I know I'm going to be smoking a week in advance and have been locked up for several months or more.


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## dcmain (Sep 25, 2014)

Thanks to everyone for the varying opinions and info. As with everything there is no right or wrong answer, just what works for you. Our temp and humidity varies from hot and humid to very cold and very dry, so the humidor takes out some variability but I understand how it could introduce other issues. So far the only sticks that I would want to "fix" that have been pulled out of my humi after several weeks of rest are the Kristoffs. I have smoked two so far and they were both harsh and hard to draw through. This does not seem to be a combination that will be fixed by dry boxing. I have a friend that raves about Kristoffs and he will probably take the remaining 5 or 6 off my hands.

Thanks again for the details


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## pmr1010 (Jul 13, 2013)

Harsh and hard to draw are definitely two of the primary symptoms of too high a humidity level. Dry them out!


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

pmr1010 said:


> I actually have found most cigars smoke best at a different rh so I have a few different coolers, humidors or boxes that they get stored in. Alex Bradley makes the Prensado and Tempus out of a very rare variety of unburnable tobacco. Maybe asbestos. So they must be, IMO, stored at about 60% rh. Most *Cough* "special" cigars store well around 62-65% for my own taste especially the smaller ring gauges. Larger ring gauges I find are good up to about 67%.
> 
> There are some, like JdN and a few others that I really like up around 68% or even 70% so that's where I store them. Unfortunately it takes time and money and several bad experiences to find what you like. Where the temperature is warmer or even hot be careful about the higher rh's.
> 
> When I dry box a cigar (I say when because there's no reason to dry box a cigar stored at 60-62% IMO) I use an old cedar Padron box. But I also do the opposite. Some cigars that have been in deep storage for a while at 62% or less might smoke better at a higher rh, so I wet box it. But care is absolutely needed so that you don't explode the cigar by bringing up the rh too fast. Bring it up slowly, a few points at a time, maybe over a few days when time permits. But that's only on a few that I know I'm going to be smoking a week in advance and have been locked up for several months or more.


I highly doubt any cigar company would put asbestos, something that's been banned in the use of or manufacture of anything consumed by humans, but then again, the cigar industry isn't regulated by the FDA which can be a double edged sword but I'd rather take my chances without the regulation.

I wanted to ask, what cigars in your opinion smoke better at a higher RH ? Like 67~70% RH? I'd be interested to know to give it a try myself as I'm always up for maximizing the utility I get from my cigars. Thanks.


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## pmr1010 (Jul 13, 2013)

I was kidding about the asbestos. If you've had the chance to smoke either of the AB cigars I listed they're great but have terrible burn issues most of the time.


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## pmr1010 (Jul 13, 2013)

At higher rh levels around 68% I like Liga Privada No. 9, Hoja de Flores, Hoya de Nicaragua Antano, several from the Diesel line and a few others. As others have said thicker wrappers do better in higher rh.

Gurkha Cellar Reserve is one that I have found the opposite to be true. They seem to have terrible burn and are hard to draw at higher rh.


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## MDSPHOTO (Sep 10, 2013)

I don't get how guys keep your houses at a "rock solid 70 degrees." I tried this when I first started and besides the fact the my wife, dog and I were all shivering, my electric bill in August was close to $600.


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## droy1958 (Sep 3, 2014)

MDSPHOTO said:


> I don't get how guys keep your houses at a "rock solid 70 degrees." I tried this when I first started and besides the fact the my wife, dog and I were all shivering, my electric bill in August was close to $600.


Geeesh.....$600 would cover my electric, gas, water, trash, phone and internet. Plus a cigar or two.....


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## Gdaddy (Sep 20, 2012)

MDSPHOTO said:


> I don't get how guys keep your houses at a "rock solid 70 degrees." I tried this when I first started and besides the fact the my wife, dog and I were all shivering, my electric bill in August was close to $600.


I set my thermostat on 76 and use ceiling fans to increase the chill factor. Amazing what a slight amount of air movement will do. Perfectly comfortable.


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## Fuzzy (Jun 19, 2011)

My RV stays comfortable by using fan-tastic vents and wind fans, all 12v. By freezing and low RH, I do not worry about critters and mold. Once the temps get above 85° for prolong periods, I crank the AC. I do not pay for electric, just do not like to be cold. At 70°, I break out the big boy pants and wear socks.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

MDSPHOTO said:


> I don't get how guys keep your houses at a "rock solid 70 degrees." I tried this when I first started and besides the fact the my wife, dog and I were all shivering, my electric bill in August was close to $600.


I live in a small condo unit so in the winter its about $90 at most and usually around $60 a month but yeah, it is a little on the colder side. This is why I just need to get a Winedor as it would save me money over the long run.

You must have a huge house if your bill were to be $600 with Iit set at 70ºF. Either that or your AC is extremely inefficient, which could be the case. I have a neighbor in my same building who keeps her condo really cool, like 68, and her bill is around 280~300+ every month. I've told her a million times that there's something wrong with her AC and that there is no way her bill should be that high. But she's basically retarded and doesn't work and her poor husband, who's also a moron, is the only one that works and he pays the bill so she doesn't care. Real Class A idiots really.


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## pmr1010 (Jul 13, 2013)

The Northeast is plagued by dramatic swings in temp as well as ridiculous utility prices.

My coolers are in a very stable room presently so its less of a matter for me.


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## dcmain (Sep 25, 2014)

pmr1010 said:


> Harsh and hard to draw are definitely two of the primary symptoms of too high a humidity level. Dry them out!


I figured I would give that a shot before gifting the rest of them to my friend next weekend. Thanks for the suggestion!


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## Shaun (Jun 28, 2014)

TonyAccardo said:


> Hey, like I said, if it works it works. I honestly could care less if everyone other than me stores their cigars at 85% and never dryboxes. I say that to convey the message that I am not one of those guys on the internet that tries to force my opinions on everyone else and get pissed if people don't agree. Believe me I could care less. I just figured I'd put my experience up as it has worked wonderfully for me and I read alot of these problems people have, problems that I've had in the past, and post up what got rid of the problem for me.
> 
> I see you're from MN. We used to have a cabin up in Hayward, WS and my great grandmother lived in Rochester, MN and I used to go stay with her in the summer for a few weeks. My parents now live in Clear Lake, IA and go up to MN frequently. I love the state and the people are great. My old roommate was from Cannon Falls, MN which was a great little town south of Minneapolis.


Hey, Tony. I understand. I'm just sharing what has worked for me. I certainly appreciate your input on the topic. Like I said, I'm pretty sure that I'm storing my cigars at too high an RH. I've got 4 boxes of 69% Boveda packs (error I made on an internet order) so I'm sort of stuck with it for awhile. I'm going to try lowering the RH in my humi if and when those Boveda packs ever run out. I'll see if things go better smoking straight from the humidor with a lower RH. In the meantime, the dry-boxing has been a revelation.

I live in Ham Lake, MN, which is about 25 miles due north of the Twin Cities. I do a mountain bike race every year that starts in Hayward, WI, so I'm pretty familiar with the area. And it's beautiful! I also do RAGBRAI some years and I've ridden through Clear Lake. Also beautiful. My parents are both native Iowans and before riding through Clear Lake, I never knew there were places like that in Iowa. I've also been through Cannon Falls riding the Cannon Valley trail.

It's all good, bro!


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

Shaun said:


> Hey, Tony. I understand. I'm just sharing what has worked for me. I certainly appreciate your input on the topic. Like I said, I'm pretty sure that I'm storing my cigars at too high an RH. I've got 4 boxes of 69% Boveda packs (error I made on an internet order) so I'm sort of stuck with it for awhile. I'm going to try lowering the RH in my humi if and when those Boveda packs ever run out. I'll see if things go better smoking straight from the humidor with a lower RH. In the meantime, the dry-boxing has been a revelation.
> 
> I live in Ham Lake, MN, which is about 25 miles due north of the Twin Cities. I do a mountain bike race every year that starts in Hayward, WI, so I'm pretty familiar with the area. And it's beautiful! I also do RAGBRAI some years and I've ridden through Clear Lake. Also beautiful. My parents are both native Iowans and before riding through Clear Lake, I never knew there were places like that in Iowa. I've also been through Cannon Falls riding the Cannon Valley trail.
> 
> It's all good, bro!


That is really neat! Hearing about all those areas. I was born in Waterloo, Iowa but moved to the Chicago area when I was 3. Our cabin was on Spider Lake, about 15 minutes drive from Al Capones old hideout in the Northwoods. I have lots of memories from there as we spent a month outta the summer, usually went up for Thanksgiving or Christmas, icefishing, snowmobiling, going to different resorts around on the lakes and play pool, eat beef jerky or pickled eggs and candy. We always loved going to the candy store in town in Hayward, the Olde Tymme Candy Shop. My dad used to ski the Birkebiner Cross Country Ski Race.
Yeah, I've always said the 3 places in Iowa that make it worthwhile to live there would be Okiboji, Clear Lake, or Iowa City, Iowa. Good memories, it's good to hear about these things as I remember all of them fondly and since moving to Florida, I really miss the quality of people up in the Midwest. They're actually honest people who understand what it takes to make a buck and keep it unlike all of the cheap bastards looking for the "eternal deal" down here. I've never seen so many despicable people anywhere and I've been all over the world.


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## Shaun (Jun 28, 2014)

TonyAccardo said:


> That is really neat! Hearing about all those areas. I was born in Waterloo, Iowa but moved to the Chicago area when I was 3. Our cabin was on Spider Lake, about 15 minutes drive from Al Capones old hideout in the Northwoods. I have lots of memories from there as we spent a month outta the summer, usually went up for Thanksgiving or Christmas, icefishing, snowmobiling, going to different resorts around on the lakes and play pool, eat beef jerky or pickled eggs and candy. We always loved going to the candy store in town in Hayward, the Olde Tymme Candy Shop. My dad used to ski the Birkebiner Cross Country Ski Race.
> Yeah, I've always said the 3 places in Iowa that make it worthwhile to live there would be Okiboji, Clear Lake, or Iowa City, Iowa. Good memories, it's good to hear about these things as I remember all of them fondly and since moving to Florida, I really miss the quality of people up in the Midwest. They're actually honest people who understand what it takes to make a buck and keep it unlike all of the cheap bastards looking for the "eternal deal" down here. I've never seen so many despicable people anywhere and I've been all over the world.


Didn't they make Capone's old hideout into a bar? I'm pretty sure I've been there. I think that, even though the winters are hell, Minnesota and Wisconsin are gorgeous country. And Iowa ain't bad either. It's hard not to have good memories of Iowa. They call the midwest "fly-over" country but that's okay. They can just keep right on flying over. I've traveled around the United States quite a bit but I've never been to Florida. I hope that you like it there even if some of the folks are slicksters looking to make a quick buck.


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## TonyAccardo (Oct 2, 2014)

Shaun said:


> Didn't they make Capone's old hideout into a bar? I'm pretty sure I've been there. I think that, even though the winters are hell, Minnesota and Wisconsin are gorgeous country. And Iowa ain't bad either. It's hard not to have good memories of Iowa. They call the midwest "fly-over" country but that's okay. They can just keep right on flying over. I've traveled around the United States quite a bit but I've never been to Florida. I hope that you like it there even if some of the folks are slicksters looking to make a quick buck.


Nah, I actually hate it down here anymore and am looking to move to Denver, CO where my brother lives but yeah that sums up Florida.

Yeah, they did make his garage into a restaurant/bar and the rest was a tourist tour but it is closed now and they were trying to sell it for 10 million but I think the bank took ownership of it so it just sits vacant now.

People make fun of the Midwest all the time yet when you've lived there and then move away, you realize how nice it is. My dad also has a place up in Dorchester, Iowa which is right on the border of Minnesota in northeastern Iowa, beautiful country that wasn't hit by the glacier millions of years ago so it's really hilly, almost mountainous. It's a huge farm that we use for turkey, deer, and pheasant hunting. It's CRP land so he gets paid by the government to plant prarie flowers and grass over so many acres of the property. We go mushroom hunting up there too. One year we collected enough Morels to fill up a 50 gallon tub! Those suckers are expensive, like $18~20/lb. when you buy them at Hy Vee.


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## stogienoob75 (Feb 27, 2014)

So back to dry boxing 

What I find most interesting about the topic is how little people mention the RH of their house when telling someone to use a sock drawer, or old cigar box (consierding the number of threads related to RH for storage). 

Until I started paying attention to my RH in the house (and added a humidifier to my furnace). I hadn't noticed that my RH was dropping to 30% or less during winter and then in spring it would start to climb until I need to turn on the A/C and it starts to drop again. 

My basic but very limited understanding of the way moisture is absorbed and released makes me believe that your house RH is going to have a large impact on the outcome of dry boxing. Also I always made the assumption that "dry boxing" really did require a box as opposed to the kitchen counter to ensure a more gradual release of humidity. wood only absorbs humidity so quick and even though a box is not necessarily as well sealed as a humidor, it is none the less more "air tight" then the kitchen counter.

so that's my question(s). Will using a box vs open air impact the end result/timing? Does having a box with a 30% rh vs a 50% rh box affect the outcome/timing?
(also does the 1% per week "rule" related to resting in a humidor still apply in this case?)


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## dcmain (Sep 25, 2014)

stogienoob75 said:


> So back to dry boxing
> 
> so that's my question(s). Will using a box vs open air impact the end result/timing? Does having a box with a 30% rh vs a 50% rh box affect the outcome/timing?
> (also does the 1% per week "rule" related to resting in a humidor still apply in this case?)


Way to get this thread back on point! Much better than a couple of FOGs reminiscing about the good old days in the Midwest. Go find a rocking chair gramps! just kidding :-b

The fellow noob asks some valid questions. I think the answer will still be " your mileage may vary". Do any of you more spiny guys want to weigh in?


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